« | Deuteronomy 29 | » |
1 These are the words of the covenant which Jehovah commanded Moses to make with the sons of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant which He made with them in Horeb.
2 And Moses called to all Israel and said to them, You have seen all that Jehovah did before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and to all his servants, and to all his land.
3 Your eyes have seen the great trials, the signs, and those great miracles.
4 Yet Jehovah has not given you a heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, until today.
5 And I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not become old on you, and your shoe has not become old on your foot.
6 You have not eaten bread, neither have you drunk wine or strong drink, so that you might know that I am Jehovah your God.
7 And when you came to this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, came out against us to battle, and we struck them.
8 And we took their land and gave it for an inheritance to the Reubenites and to the Gadites and to the half tribe of Manasseh.
9 Therefore, keep the words of this covenant and do them, so that you may act wisely in all that you do.
10 You stand today, all of you, before Jehovah your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, all the men of Israel,
11 your little ones, your wives, and your stranger that is in your camp, from the cutter of your wood to the drawer of your water;
12 so that you should enter into covenant with Jehovah your God, and into His oath, which Jehovah your God makes you today;
13 that He may establish you today for a people to Himself, and that He may be a God to you, as He has said to you, and as He has sworn to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
14 Nor do I make this covenant and this oath with you only,
15 but with him who stands here with us today before Jehovah our God, and also with him that is not here with us today.
16 (For you know how we have lived in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the nations which you passed.
17 And you have seen their abominations and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them)
18 lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turns away today from Jehovah our God, to go serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that bears gall and wormwood,
19 and it happens when he hears the words of this curse, that he shall bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart, to snatch away the drunken with the thirsty.
20 Jehovah will not be willing to forgive him, but then the anger of Jehovah and His jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie on him, and Jehovah shall blot out his name from under heavens.
21 And Jehovah shall set him apart to evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the Law;
22 so that the generation to come of your sons that shall rise up after you, and the stranger that shall come from a far land, shall say (when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses which Jehovah has laid on it)
23 the whole land shall be burned with brimstone, and salt; it shall not be sown; nor shall it sprout; nor shall there be any grass in it. It shall be like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which Jehovah overthrew in His anger, and in His wrath,
24 even all nations shall say, Why has Jehovah done this to this land? For what is the heat of this great anger?
25 Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of Jehovah, the God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them forth out of the land of Egypt.
26 For they went and served other gods, and worshiped them, gods whom they did not know, and who had not given to them any portion.
27 And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against this land, to bring on it all the curses that are written in this book.
28 And Jehovah rooted them out of their land in anger and wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is today.
29 The secret things belong to Jehovah our God, but the revealed things belong to us and to our sons forever, so that we may do all the words of this Law.
The Modern King James Version (MKJV)
The Modern King James Version (MKJV) is a contemporary English translation of the Bible that aims to preserve the majesty and accuracy of the original King James Version (KJV) while updating its language for modern readers. Developed by Jay P. Green Sr. and first published in 1990, the MKJV seeks to maintain the literary beauty and doctrinal reliability of the KJV, making only necessary adjustments to archaic terms and phrases to enhance readability. This careful balance allows the MKJV to retain the classic feel of the KJV while making it more accessible to today’s audience.
One of the standout features of the MKJV is its commitment to formal equivalence, or word-for-word translation. The translators have meticulously preserved the structure and vocabulary of the KJV, only updating words and phrases that have become outdated or whose meanings have shifted over time. This approach ensures that the MKJV remains faithful to the original texts and maintains the theological and literary integrity of the KJV. By preserving the cadence and phrasing of the original, the MKJV offers a reading experience that is both familiar and refreshed for modern readers.
The MKJV also pays special attention to the textual basis of the translation. Like the KJV, it relies on the Textus Receptus for the New Testament and the Masoretic Text for the Old Testament. This adherence to traditional source texts underscores the MKJV’s commitment to continuity with the historic Christian tradition. The translation is designed to serve both devotional and scholarly purposes, providing a text that is suitable for study, teaching, and public reading in a variety of settings.
Despite its strengths, the Modern King James Version has faced some criticism. Some scholars and readers argue that the translation could benefit from a more extensive revision to fully embrace contemporary language, suggesting that the MKJV’s adherence to the structure and style of the KJV may still pose challenges for modern readers. Others appreciate the balance it strikes but note that it occupies a niche space, appealing primarily to those who have a strong attachment to the KJV. Nonetheless, the MKJV remains a respected and valued translation for those seeking a modern update of the KJV that honors its rich heritage and timeless message.